A Second Chance
by Bethhawke
Summary: Stringfellow Hawke has to protect his ex from the terrorists who kidnapped her while she was working for Archangel. Will they have a second chance at love or has working for Archangel ruined their chances?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – Airwolf does not belong to me, I have just borrowed the characters, with the exception of Beth who is my creation.

This is the first of - hopefully - 3 Airwolf stories with the Hawke/Beth relationship.

The story takes place at the end of season 2.

It is my first attempt at fanfic, although the stories have been rattling about in my head for a while.

Chapter 1

Stringfellow Hawke poured himself a glass of wine and sank into a comfortable chair by the fire. He sipped his wine, closed his eyes and sighed. It had been a long and tiring week at Santini Air, with their mechanic on vacation and Caitlin only able to answer phones and do paperwork due to a sprained wrist.

Dominic Santini, the owner of Santini Air and Hawke's closest friend, had dropped Hawke back at his cabin half an hour earlier and after a quick shower and change of clothes he was ready to relax. He had the whole weekend to himself to do whatever he liked.Sleep first, he thought, then tomorrow a long walk in the woods with Tet. As though sensing his master's thoughts, Tet lifted his head to look at Hawke and was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears.

Hawke was just drifting off to sleep when a distant sound caused him to open his eyes and tilt his head to one side, listening. As the helicopter came closer he recognised it as belonging to the Firm. No doubt it's Archangel with a very important, save the world job, he thought irritably. Just what he didn't need. He was too tired and the glass of wine he had just drunk had made him slightly light-headed, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. He stood up and walked over to the bar where he poured himself another glass of wine and laid out two more glasses for his 'guests'. Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III, code name Archangel, would not be alone. He would have a beautiful, intelligent young woman, dressed all in white flying him in, since he was unable to fly himself any more.

The cabin door was opened by Marella who stepped aside to allow her boss to enter first. Leaning on a cane and limping slightly, Archangel walked over to the bar and sat down. The black patch over the left lens of his glasses was in sharp contrast to the white suit he was wearing and gave him a debonair look. Marella gracefully followed him and looked appreciatively at the label on the wine bottle before pouring a glass for Archangel and then one for herself. Archangel took a sip of wine, savouring the bouquet, before speaking.

"Good evening Hawke, I have a job for you"

"What a surprise" said Hawke sarcastically from behind the bar, "I didn't think this was a social visit."

Michael ignored him and continued.

"Do you remember Elizabeth?" he asked.

"Elizabeth?" Hawke frowned, "No I don't think so. One of _yours_ I presume," he said, referring to Michael's many female assistants.

"Well...Yes" Michael looked a little awkward. "And one of yours too"

"One of _mine_? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Hawke was too tired to play word games with Archangel.

Marella glared at Hawke, ever defensive of her boss.

"Be nice, Stringfellow. I think you'll _want _to take this job."

Hawke turned and glared back at Marella. "Start explaining _now_ or leave. I'm tired, hungry and half way to being drunk and I _don't_ feel like company."

Marella put her wine glass back on the bar and turned her stool so that she was facing Hawke.

"The only person who gets away with calling her Elizabeth is Michael. She insists that everyone else calls her Beth; in fact most people don't even realise her name _is_ Elizabeth. I presume that includes you, Stringfellow, or you would have recognised the name. After all it was only about six weeks ago when you last saw her."

Hawke stared at Marella, his expression unreadable. After a few moments of silence he asked quietly, "Is she OK?" His voice was gruff with concern.

Michael took over the briefing. "She will be. She was working undercover and was kidnapped. They didn't treat her very well but none of her injuries are life threatening. Right now she needs somewhere safe to stay."

"Where was her protection, her backup? How could you let her get captured? And what the hell was she doing working for you anyway?" The questions stumbled from Hawke before he had time to compose himself.

"I don't have time to go into it now. Marella will brief you fully. My ride is here." Before Hawke could ask any more questions, Michael hurried out of the cabin and towards a white helicopter that was just landing.

Marella stood up and motioned for Hawke to follow her."

"Beth is in that chopper and we need to get her inside as quickly as possible. I'll need your help, I had to sedate her for the journey."

They jogged over to the chopper and Hawke lifted Beth carefully out of the back seat. She was wrapped in a white blanket and was not quite concious. She wasn't heavy, in fact she felt much too light and he carried her with ease into the cabin and straight up the stairs to his bed.

"I'll stay with her until she wakes up," said Marella when it looked as though Hawke was not going to leave her side. "She will be confused and disorientated when she wakes and may react violently to a man being in the room."

Hawke was about to protest when the meaning of Marella's words struck home.

"You mean, her kidnappers...they...," he couldn't finish the sentence and Marella just nodded.

Hawke glanced one more time at Beth, his face full of conflicting emotions, then turned away and went downstairs.

Sitting outside on the porch in the moonlight, staring at the lake, he let his mind drift back to when they first met.

"_Come on String, you can't spend every night alone in the cabin. Come for a drink with me and my buddies. They have lots of war stories to tell and one of them even knew your dad!" _

"_Dom, you know I don't like crowds and the club'll be very crowded on a Friday night. Besides I need to get home to feed Tet." It was a lame excuse but it was all he could think up on the spot._

_Dominic grinned, not at least put off by the the false excuse. "You know Tet is capable of taking care of himself." Then his face became serious. "String, you'll end up a lonely hermit if you carry on like this. Do this for me please, just this once, then I'll leave you alone... for a week or so!" Dominic grinned again, believing he had finally won the argument._

"_OK, just this once" Hawke finally relented, to get Dom off his back._

_Five hours later Hawke was seated with a group of war veterans who were on their fourth or fifth beer and getting very rowdy. He made his excuses and jostled his way through the crowd to the bar. There were a lot of people waiting to be served. The barman acknowledged him with a nod and continued serving the lady who was sitting on a bar stool next to Hawke._

_She turned and smiled at him. She was dressed all in black and had long black hair, pale skin and elfin-like features. And the most beautiful smile Hawke had seen in a long while._

_Hawke indicated the ever increasing number of beers in front of her, grinned and mouthed "Thirsty?" _

_He was rewarded with another smile and she leaned over to shout in his ear, over the noise of the laughter and music. "Can I get you one? Long wait otherwise. All my fault I'm afraid."_

_Hawke smiled back and nodded. "Thanks. Why your fault?"_

" _Promotion, party," she shouted back and waved her arm in the general direction of a large group of obviously drunk men._

"_Whose promotion?" Hawke mouthed._

"_Mine."_

"_Congratulations."_

"_Thanks."_

_Long sentences were out of the question due to the noise, but Hawke wanted to talk some more._

_She handed him his beer and he shouted "Join me?"_

_She nodded and indicated that he should wait while she delivered the tray of beers to the table._


	2. Chapter 2

It was sunrise before Marella finally joined Hawke on the porch.

"She's awake and asking to see you."

"She know where she is?"

"Yes, even before Tet stuck his nose in her face," Marella laughed. "That mutt has been by her side all night."

"Humph, I wondered where he was when I needed him," Hawke looked out at the lake and said quietly, almost as if to himself, "He was always more protective of her than of me. Whenever we had a fight he would go stand by Beth, as if to protect her from me."

"Did you fight often?" Marella asked softly.

"Too often. I guess that's why she broke it off."

"But I thought.. oh never mind, I must have misunderstood."

"Misunderstood what?" demanded Hawke.

"I thought you two were still together. She certainly implied that you were," Marella replied.

"She broke it off about a week after she met you and Michael," Hawke recalled.

"How," Marella asked.

"A letter, by post to Santini Air. Why?"

"Are you sure it was from her?"asked Marella.

"What are you thinking? That it was forged?" Hawke thought for a moment, then his face turned cold and angry. "Why that son of a ... Just wait til I get my hands on him."

Marella had been thinking the same – that Michael had got Hawke out of the picture so that Beth could work for him. Michael was usually a fair man but could be ruthless when necessary.

Hawke walked towards the lake and stood still, taking in the scenery until he felt calmer.

Marella could think of nothing to say so went into the cabin and put on a pot of coffee. Hawke came in a few minutes later and paused at the bottom of the stairs. He took a deep, calming breath then slowly climbed the stairs.

Beth was sitting up in bed. Her left wrist was in plaster and her face was covered with cuts and bruises. Hawke didn't even want to think about what other injuries might be hidden beneath the white silk pyjamas she was wearing. Her eyes were closed and the dark circles underneath them stood out against her paler then usual skin.

"Nice pyjamas!" he said with an attempt at a smile. "Not your usual colour though."

Beth opened her eyes and held out her arms. Hawke rushed towards her, knelt beside the bed, reached over and held her tight. She was crying; he could feel her tears soaking into his shirt where her face was buried against his chest.

"String! Why didn't you rescue me? I waited, every day I waited. It was all that kept me sane, knowing that you would come for me." Her sobbing got louder and Hawke held her tighter, rocking her gently, tears in his own eyes.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know! Archangel didn't tell me you were in trouble." The anguish in his voice caused her to lift her head and look into his damp eyes.

"But why didn't you contact Archangel when you didn't hear from me? I said in the letter that I would be unreachable for two weeks maximum, and I was gone for over a month!"

"I never got your letter; at least not the one you thought you sent me. I thought you broke up with me; we did have that big fight."

When she didn't answer, Hawke climbed onto the bed next to her and put his arm around her. He brushed a stray lock of hair off her face and kissed her bruised forehead.

"We have a lot to talk about," he said gently, "but for now I think Marella has made coffee. Feel up to going downstairs?"

Beth nodded and with Hawke's help made it down the stairs and onto the sofa. Hawke sat protectively next to her while Marella brought them all coffee and toast.

They sat in silence, enjoying the first coffee of the day and Hawke thought back to his and Beth's first coffee together.

_Beth returned to the bar after delivering the tray of drinks to her work mates. She held out her hand and Hawke took it and was dragged onto the dance floor._

_She was shorter than him, even in her high heels, but their heads were close enough together to make talking a little easier. _

"_I'm Beth."_

"_Stringfellow."_

"_Stringfellow? That's nice – it suits you."_

_Hawke laughed, "That's not what most people say." _

_They made small talk and danced for over an hour before Beth put her hand over her mouth and yawned._

"_Sorry," she said, "long day."_

"_Can I walk you home," Hawke asked, not wanting the evening to end._

"_Don't you need to get back to your friends?"_

"_Nah, they're big enough to look after themselves. What about you?"_

"_I don't think they've even missed me." she said, glancing over at them. _

_Hawke waved to Dom, who had been watching him for a while. He knew he was in for some teasing when he returned to work on Monday._

_Outside it was dark and quiet. _

"_Do you live near," Hawke asked, his voice a little loud in the sudden quiet._

"_A few blocks away," Beth replied._

_They walked in silence, arm in arm until they reached her apartment building._

"_Coffee?" Beth asked as she unlocked her door._

"_Please," replied Hawke as he followed her inside._

_Beth put the coffee on, then excused herself and disappeared into the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later dressed in a long black silk robe. She looked beautiful and Hawke hoped this wasn't going to be just a one night stand._

_She poured the coffees then curled up on the sofa next to Hawke and rested her head on his shoulder._

"_This is nice," she said._

"_Yeah," Hawke replied sipping his hot coffee. "I've enjoyed this evening. Want to get together again?" he asked nervously. _

"_You're not leaving yet are you?" Beth asked. She placed her cup on the coffee table, then taking Hawke's cup from him, placed it next to hers. "I make a mean breakfast!"_

_She leaned closer to him, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Hawke wrapped his arms around her and murmured against her lips, "I like my eggs boiled."_

After breakfast Hawke helped Beth to shower and dress. She hadn't wanted any help but Marella, as her surrogate doctor, had insisted one of them help her as she had little or no use of her left arm and was on strong pain medication that could make her dizzy. There had not been time to pack any clothes for her, so Hawke lent her jeans and a shirt. As he helped her tie a belt tightly around her waist he realised how much weight she had lost.

"You ready for Marella's briefing?" he asked.

"I guess so," she sounded reluctant, "best get it over and done with."

Marella was sitting reading a file and looked up as she heard them coming down the stairs.

"While you two were getting ready I thought I would go through the file again, just in case I 'd missed anything." Hawke raised an eyebrow at her – Marella never missed anything! "I found a couple of extra pages which I'm sure were _not _there last time I opened the file." She handed one sheet to Hawke and the other to Beth.

Hawke read his sheet, his expression unreadable, then handed it to Beth. She recognised it immediately as the letter she had written to String when Michael had asked her to work undercover for him.

She handed it back to him. "It's yours," she said quietly, then turned to read the page Marella had handed to her.

"It's from Archangel, explaining why he had to deceive us," she told Hawke, "he suspected that there was a mole in the Firm and needed an outsider to work undercover. You are known to a few of his operatives so he couldn't risk us being seen together until he had found the traitor."

"And he knew I wouldn't like it," Hawke said darkly, thinking of another dark haired woman who had once worked for Michael. "But why you anyway? He only met you once."

Marella answered, "Beth was a cop, and a good one at that. Michael had her investigated, as he does anyone he finds out you're involved with, and was impressed with her file. She was perfect to go undercover as a singer at a club that we think is being used as a cover for terrorist activity. Her personality, the way she dresses and her delightful voice meant she fitted in without having to do too much 'acting'. Couple that with her police experience and she was the perfect choice."

"He could have come to me and explained the situation. There was no need to make me think Beth had ditched me!" Hawke's face was red with anger and Marella was torn between defending her bosses actions and sympathising with Hawke.

The sympathy won over. "He was wrong to do what he did," she told Hawke, "and I will tell him that when he returns."

"After I knock him across the room!" Hawke muttered. If he was surprised at Marella siding with him he didn't show it.

They sat around the dining table with the file spread out so they could all see it. Beth and Marella had both tied their dark hair back and would have looked quite professional if it hadn't been for Beth's outfit. Hawke idly wondered if Beth wore white when she was working for Michael, although if she was undercover most of time she would be wearing her own clothes. Until the evening before, he had never seen her wear white.

The file had photos of the suspected terrorists and details of their entry into the country. Beth had already identified two of the men as working in the club. Anton Ivanov was working as a barman and Boris Fedoseev as a trainee manager. The Firm suspected that the club was being used to employ Russians who Fedoseev was somehow getting into the country. They also suspected that it was masquerading as a legitimate business that would need to buy equipment that they would then modify to use for terrorist activity. What the Firm didn't know was what they were planning.

"He's the one who took me," she said, pointing to the photo of Fedoseev. "He was waiting for me by my car, I didn't see him until it was too late."

"Can you remember anything else, did he say anything or mention any names or places?" asked Marella.

"No, I think he must have drugged me. The next thing I remember is waking up in a dark room with one hell of a hangover."

"And then what?" asked Marella when Beth paused.

"And then the questions started, and when I wouldn't answer he'd hit me."

"What was he asking you?"

"Who I worked for, how much I knew, why was I at the club, did I want to die or just be scarred for life." Beth paused to collect her thoughts. "Fedoseev was definitely in charge but he wasn't alone. There was Ivanov and another guy who he called Bobby. I never saw Bobby's face, he always wore a ski mask which I thought was a bit odd. I did wonder if he thought I might recognise him.

Hawke interrupted, "Any other clues to his identity? Height, build, accent, anything."

"There's something, but I can't remember what – it's so frustrating, not being able to remember. I wasn't feeling well and was pretty scared. It was obvious they knew I was involved with some official organisation, but they weren't sure which. He mentioned the police, the FBI and even the Firm. I don't think I gave anything away. Archangel had sent me in to gather information on the terrorists but he'd only told me what I needed to know. When I wouldn't or couldn't answer the questions Fedoseev told Bobby to take me away and kill me." Beth paused and turned her head away.

"What's the matter," Hawke asked her, suddenly concerned.

"Well obviously he didn't kill me. He blindfolded me, drugged me and took me to what I think was a derelict apartment building." Beth paused again, put her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

"What happened next?" Hawke asked. He thought he knew but needed her to say it.

"He kept me for himself. I only got food and water as a reward for 'favours'," she whispered.

Hawke was watching Beth carefully and realised that she was close to breaking point, only her police training was keeping her under control.

"I need a break and Beth, you look tired, why don't you go upstairs and lie down for a bit." Hawke suggested.

She just nodded, so Hawke took her upstairs and settled her in bed with a glass of water and painkillers for her arm. She took them without argument, then lay on her side and went to sleep almost immediately. Hawke stayed for a few minutes, added a log to the bedroom fire, then went back downstairs to Marella.

"Sorry Hawke, I should have noticed that she was getting tired."

Hawke shrugged. "I hate seeing her like this. She's normally so strong, so passionate and full of life."

"Give her time. It's only been a few days and she's in pain. She also has some memory loss which is making her confused."

"Will she regain the memories?" Hawke asked, concerned.

"In cases like hers the brain sometimes shuts down as a protective measure. The memories should slowly return as she starts to feel better."

Hawke sighed deeply. "Anything else I need to know before I try to get some sleep?"

"These men are dangerous and I don't know why they kept her alive when she had no information and could identify them. That's why we need you to keep her safe here. I don't think they know about you."

"What if they do?" demanded Hawke.

"We are certain they don't, but if it makes you feel better maybe you should contact Dominic and have him do a full systems check on Airwolf, just in case we need her."

"Good idea, but first I'm going to bed." Hawke looked at Marella and noticed for the first time how tired she looked. "You should try to get some sleep too." In the bedroom Hawke stripped off and climbed into bed next to Beth, careful not to wake her, and was asleep within minutes.

It was late afternoon when Stringfellow Hawke woke to the sound of voices. He shifted position so that he could hear better and realised that he was listening to Marella talking on the radio.

"...clothes, make-up and whatever else you think she might need." Marella was saying.

Hawke couldn't hear the reply but it sounded like another female voice.

Then he heard Marella say, "Tell Archangel to stay away for a few days, Hawke needs time to cool down. Marella out."

Beth moved slightly beside him and he turned to look at her. She was awake and watching him.

He leaned across and kissed her lightly on the lips. After a seconds hesitation she responded and the kiss became passionate. Hawke, suddenly remembering what she had been through, pulled away abruptly. She looked at him and the hurt in her eyes made his stomach turn over. What have I done, he thought.

Beth turned away and sat on the edge of the bed, her back to him. He reached out and touched her shoulder but she shrugged him off.

"Beth?" he said, his voice questioning.

She didn't answer, just sat there unmoving.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Then why did you pull away? Do I disgust you that much?"

"Hey!" He gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face him. Tears were falling silently down her cheeks. "I love you, you could never disgust me!"

"Then prove it. You've barely touched me since I arrived. You never used to be able to keep your hands off me!"

"I was trying to give you some space. After what happened I thought you wouldn't _want_ me to touch you," his voice caught in his throat as he held back tears.

"Just kiss me," she whispered.

Hawke pulled her down on top of him and kissed her hard. She responded, wrapping herself tightly around him.

They stayed like that until a discreet cough caused them to separate. Marella was standing at the top of the stairs that led to the balcony that served as the only bedroom.

"Dammit Marella! What do you want," demanded Hawke, annoyed at being disturbed in his own bedroom.

"Sorry Hawke," Marella's voice was apologetic, "I have to leave. I'll be back in the morning with clothes for Beth, and groceries. Is there anything else you need?" The question was directed at Beth.

"I'll come downstairs with you," replied Beth. Wiping the back of her hand across her wet cheeks she followed Marella downstairs.

As soon as they left his room, Hawke got out of bed and showered and dressed, and by the time he got downstairs Marella had left.


	3. Chapter 3

When Marella arrived at the Firm headquarters the first thing she did was head to her office, which had a private bathroom, to shower and change. She always had a few spare outfits in the cupboard in her office ever since the day she spilt coffee down her white skirt just before an important meeting and had to borrow one from a much shorter and thinner colleague. The meeting room had been overheated but she'd had to keep her jacket on because the skirt wouldn't fasten at the back. It was a mistake she wouldn't make again.

Her phone rang just as she had finished dressing and she hurried out of the bathroom to answer it.

"Hello Marella," the voice on the other end of the phone said, "are we still on for dinner tonight?"

"Robert. Hello. Good timing, I've just finished getting ready. I'll meet you at the entrance in about half an hour. I just need to see Archangel first."

Hanging up the phone Marella walked to Archangel's office. On the way she thought about Robert. With all the excitement of the last few days she hadn't thought about him at all and she realised that she wasn't really looking forward to dinner. If she wasn't so hungry she would probably have cancelled. Maybe I'll break it off tonight, she thought.

After updating Archangel she said goodnight to him, letting him know where she was going and asking him to page her if he needed her for anything.

The restaurant was very busy but Robert had reserved a small table in a quiet corner. The lighting was dim and there were candles on the tables. At the far end, next to a small dance floor, a pianist was playing love songs. It should have been romantic but Marella was unmoved.

"You're very quiet tonight," Robert commented while they were waiting for the main course to be delivered.

"I'm just tired. The case I'm working on is tough, emotionally."

"Want to talk about it?"

"I can't, it's classified. Besides, you didn't ask me out to talk about work."

"I don't mind, it's just nice to see you." He hesitated. "You know the latest rumour in the office is that one of our operatives got kidnapped recently. Have you heard anything about it?"

Marella stiffened in her seat and tried to keep her face neutral.

"No, it's probably just that, a rumour. If it was true I'm sure Archangel would have told me, and I don't know of anyone who is missing."

"You're probably right," he said.

The waiter arrived at the table to serve them their main course, effectively ending the conversation.

When he left, Marella quickly changed the subject.

"The pianist is good, not the usual guy."

Robert agreed, then they both concentrated on their food but Marella found she had no appetite despite feeling hungry earlier. After moving her food around on her plate for about 15 minutes, while Robert ate gustily, she gave up pretending.

"I'm sorry Robert, I'm no fun tonight and I have a headache. Would you mind taking me home now?" she asked.

Robert paid the bill and they walked out to the car park. As he held the car door open for her Marella sensed something was wrong and just caught sight of a man crouched in the back of the car before she was knocked unconscious.


	4. Chapter 4

Hawke was a light sleeper, in his line of business it could be a life saver, so in the early hours of the morning when Beth started to talk in her sleep he was awake instantly. She was obviously dreaming and was starting to get distressed so he gently shook her shoulders to wake her. Still asleep she lashed out at him, hitting him with both hands.

"Beth, it's me, String. Wake up, it's just a dream."

"String?" she stopped hitting him, a confused look on her face. "My wrist hurts. I hit you, did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine, but you're not. Stay here, I'll get you some painkillers."

He ran to the kitchen and returned seconds later with painkillers and a glass of water.

"Here," he said, helping her to take them, "they should start working soon, just lie back." Her face was ashen and he was worried she was going to pass out.

It was half an hour later before Beth felt well enough to sit up.

"Want to talk about it?" asked Hawke.

She shook her head.

"I'm a good listener," he quipped, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't tell you."

"You can tell me anything, I won't hold it against you."

"Promise? Promise you won't hate me?"

"I promise," his face was serious, he didn't make promises lightly.

"I keep dreaming about when I was in the apartment. The windows were boarded up but a little light got in and I could tell night from day. It was so hot during the day and freezing at night. _He _came every other night and never left food and water." Beth started crying quietly and bowed her head, avoiding his eyes. If he hadn't got such good hearing he might have missed what she said next. "I got so thirsty that towards the end I was wanting him to come, even though I knew what I needed to do to get a drink."

Hawke put his arms around her and held her tightly while she sobbed, offering quiet words of comfort, "I understand, it's OK, it's over now," but he couldn't help but remember Gabrielle, how she had died in the desert with no water, and how he had held her in his arms at the end. No words could express the pain he felt for them both and he vowed to kill this man himself, just like he'd killed Moffett.


	5. Chapter 5

Marella woke feeling cold and reached out for the blanket before realising she wasn't in her bed. She tried to sit up and wished she hadn't. Her head was pounding and her stomach turned over as dizziness overcame her. She lay back down and forced herself to think.

As her eyes became accustomed to the dark she realised she was lying on the floor of what appeared to be a cave. There was no one near to her but she thought she could see the outline of a man near the entrance to the cave.

Making as little noise as possible, she turned onto her front so that she could look behind her. When the dizziness subsided she could see lots of large crates and smaller boxes piled at the back of the cave. One of the boxes was open and Marella could see the contents. It appeared to be electrical equipment but it was too dark to make out details. Some of the crates had diagrams on the sides, indicating that they contained computer equipment.

A noise at the cave entrance made her turn quickly onto her back, causing her to blackout from the pain in her head.

When she woke again, Robert was at her side. He pulled her up and dragged her outside.

"I need you out in the open so they can find you," he said. He pushed her down onto the grass and stood looking down at her.

"Who? Why?" asked Marella, confused. Her head hurt more in the glare of the sun; she estimated it was about midday.

"You'll soon see," he reached into his jacket pocket and took out Marella's pager.

"Damn." Marella knew that the pager could be traced, Michael had added that extra security to it before he gave it to her, but she wasn't sure if Robert knew that. He had worked for the Firm for a few years, even directly for Archangel at one time, so there was a good chance he did know. She considered the options. If he didn't know it could be traced then the rescue attempt would be unexpected. However if he did know and hadn't destroyed the pager, then he must want a rescue attempt and the only reason she could think of was Airwolf.

Marella looked around. There were caves all around, surrounding a large patch of dry grass in the centre of which she was lying. She could see two men standing at the entrance to one cave. They were quite far away but she thought it could be Fedoseev and Ivanov, two of the terrorists they were observing. Why was Robert with them? She tried to concentrate, which was difficult with such a painful headache. She thought back to the previous morning with Beth and Hawke and tried to remember what had been said.

When she finally worked out what had been bothering her, she wished she was unconscious again.

Robert Hunter, her boyfriend of the last few weeks had to be Bobby. She had been dating a kidnapper and a rapist and on the nights when he wasn't with his victim he had been seeing her. Beth had said that they suspected she was working for someone, and the Firm was one organisation they suspected, which could explain why he kept his face hidden.

She tried to lash out at Robert, but didn't have the strength. He just laughed and walked away to talk to the other men.

She had the feeling they were just waiting.


	6. Chapter 6

Hawke sat on a tree stump outside his cabin. He was holding his cello but had stopped playing a while ago and was now just sitting and watching an eagle diving for fish in the lake.

He was worried about Beth. She had been distant all morning after talking to him during the night, and obviously didn't want company. That was why he was sitting alone outside; even Tet had abandoned him.

He wished Marella was still at the cabin, or even Caitlin. Caitlin didn't like Beth much, but she was female and could offer Beth a different type of comfort than he could, and was kind hearted enough to help anyone who needed it whether she liked them or not.

He couldn't understand why they didn't get along. They had so much in common. Both were pretty and confident, loyal, the same age and they had both been cops. He loved them both, but in different ways, and he was sure they both loved him. With unusual insight he suddenly realised that could be the problem. Caitlin hadn't been friendly with any woman he had been involved with and he wondered if she was jealous. But that would mean that she was interested in him as more than a friend and he couldn't recall her indicating to him that she was, except for their first kiss on a film set, but that had been acting, hadn't it?

Hawke stood up and carried his cello back into the cabin. He was too tired to think straight and his thoughts were getting jumbled. After putting the cello away he opened the doors to the cupboard that held the radio, intending to call Caitlin, and nearly jumped out of his skin as it called his name.

"Angel One to Hawke, come in Hawke!"

He grabbed the radio, "Hawke here. Go ahead Michael."

"Hawke, I'm approaching the cabin, Dominic and Caitlin are close behind in the Lady. Marella is in trouble."

Ten minutes later they were all sitting around the dining table with Michael bringing them up to date on the situation.

"Marella didn't turn up for work this morning. I have tried phoning her home and have paged her but got no reply. I know she had a date last night and I have talked to everyone who may have seen her after she left my office. It appears she arrived at the restaurant at 20.00hrs with a man named Robert Hunter, who works for me. According to the other girls in the office they have been dating for a few weeks. They left after the main course and no one has seen them since. They didn't go to either of their homes and her car is still at Firm HQ."

"What do you know about this Hunter guy?" asked Dominic.

"He's dangerous if he's turned. He was in Zebra squad until a bullet in his thigh meant he had to take a desk job, but he's still a trained killer."

Beth, who had been sitting quietly until then, turned an even paler colour and looked at Michael.

"Which leg was shot? Describe this Robert."

Michael looked puzzled but answered anyway. "His left leg I think and I brought his file in case he is involved rather than an innocent victim," he took a file out of his briefcase and showed it to Beth.

The file contained detailed information on Hunter, including medical reports and photos of his injury. Beth stared in silence for a few minutes then suddenly stood up

"That's Bobby," she said, her voice shook. "I feel sick," she rushed to the bathroom while the others just stared at her, shocked at her revelation.

Hawke reacted first and ran after her. She was kneeling on the bathroom floor and he knelt beside her and held her long hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry," she managed after a few minutes.

"It's OK," Hawke answered, "it must have been a shock, seeing his photo like that."

"It's not just that, you heard what Michael said, Marella was dating this guy at the same time as he was holding me captive and raping me. If I feel bad imagine how she's feeling."

Hawke couldn't think of anything to say and Beth told him to go back to the others.

Michael was continuing to brief Dominic and Caitlin and he looked up when Hawke returned.

"I was just saying that Marella's pager has a tracking device built in. We can easily find her but there's a good chance that Hunter knows that too and we'll be flying into a trap. He could be after Airwolf."

"I'll take the risk," Hawke said, noting the look of concern for Marella on the spy's face, "I don't suppose it'll do any good asking you to stay here?" he asked Michael rhetorically. "Cait, you stay here with Beth and keep the guns loaded," he paused, "Cait, can you manage a gun with your sprained wrist."

"I'll be fine, it's just about better, you just go get Marella."

Hawke and Michael changed into their Airwolf flight suits, which Caitlin had remembered to bring into the cabin, then the three men rushed out to the waiting aircraft.

The atmosphere inside Airwolf was tense. Hawke was concentrating on flying, Dominic was in the back monitoring all the systems and Michael, who didn't have a job to do, was just thinking. Marella had been in danger before but for some reason this time felt different. He couldn't stop thinking about her, picturing her face, and wondering what she was going through. He hated it when she dated even though he knew she had a personal life and he wasn't exactly celibate. But Hunter! Michael was usually a good judge of character, he was trained to be, and he felt guilty that he had made an error that had caused two of his operatives to get hurt.

Hawke's voice in his ear startled him out of his thoughts and he had to ask him to repeat what he had just said.

"Approaching the location now."

Dominic scanned the area.

"Only one life sign, but the area is surrounded by caves and I don't think Airwolf's sensors can penetrate them. It could be an ambush!"

"Is the life sign Marella?" asked Michael.

"Has to be," replied Hawke, "I'll get a closer look."

He swooped down low and they could see Marella, on her own, in the centre of the field.

She stood up and waved her arms in the air.

"She looks unhurt," noted Michael, "can't we just fly low and she can climb aboard?"

"Too easy," replied Hawke, "it has to be an ambush. I just wish I knew what they had planned for us."

"There's only one way to find out."

"OK, let's go for it. Michael, you grab her when we get close enough."

Hawke brought Airwolf as close to Marella as he could and she ran towards them.

Shots rang out all around them as three men ran out from the shelter of the caves.

"Dammit! Michael, jump out and cover Marella," Hawke shouted, over the sound of the shots hitting Airwolf.

Michael jumped out of Airwolf, landing awkwardly on his bad leg, and rolled over across the grass to avoid the bullets. Marella was running towards him, weaving from side to side, also avoiding bullets.

She grabbed Michael's arm and pulled him up and dragged him to one of the caves.

"Am I glad to see you," she panted, "I think this cave is empty." She looked around and relaxed a little when it was obvious they were alone.

He looked at her, taking in her dishevelled appearance, "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, it's just my pride that's hurt. Do you know that Robert Hunter took me? He's working with the Russian terrorists that Beth was observing."

Michael nodded and was about to say more when Marella remembered their situation.

"Sir, there are crates of electrical equipment in the largest cave, if Hawke could blow the entrance..."

Michael moved to the cave entrance, gun at the ready, and stood waving his arms to attract Hawke's attention.

Hawke was busy using Airwolf's guns to drive the men away from Michael and Marella but spotted him as he turned Airwolf around to make a second pass.

"Dom, scan audio, I think Michael wants to tell us something."

"Blow the cave entrance," Michael shouted, gesturing to the cave with the equipment in.

Hawke turned Airwolf around. "Missile Dom."

Seconds later the cave entrance was a mass of rubble and the men were nowhere to be seen. Hawke positioned Airwolf so that Marella and Michael would be covered as they ran to safety. Just as Marella was about to climb inside she cried out and grabbed her hip, one man had emerged from the cover of a nearby cave and got a shot at her.

Michael climbed in first, pulling Marella up with one arm. He got into the back and Marella positioned herself painfully next to Hawke. He lifted off and flew a safe distance before taking a closer look at Marella's wound. He pulled her hand away and saw that her skirt was ripped and she had a long graze across her hip bone. She had been lucky, the bullet had just skimmed her.

"You'll be OK," he reassured Marella, then turning to Michael he said, "It's not life threatening." His tone was sarcastic and his words echoed what Michael had said to him about Beth. Michael blanched but said nothing.

"I still say it was way too easy," commented Hawke, "they couldn't possibly have expected to defend themselves against Airwolf with three men carrying hand guns."

"Maybe they are going to follow us to the lair," suggested Dom.

"There's no sign of any aircraft in the area, unless..." Hawke's voice slowed as he thought.

Dominic spoke to him impatiently. "Come on kid, let us know what you're thinking."

Hawke turned to Marella. "Could they have planted a tracking device, a homing device, on you?"

"I was unconscious for over twelve hours so it's possible," Marella was thoughtful, "I don't know where though," she said, patting down her clothes..

"You need to get all those clothes off. I'll drop you and Michael off at the hospital, they'll expect that anyway with you shot, and you can check there. Michael, get as many guards as you can, I don't want any more kidnappings."

Marella shuddered at the thought, then wished she hadn't as pain shot through her hip. "OK, take us to the hospital. I'll make sure I get a thorough check over."


	7. Chapter 7

After dropping Michael and Marella at the hospital and radioing Caitlin to let her know that Marella was safe, they made their way to the lair. They secured Airwolf, checked her for any damage then got into Dom's red, white and blue Jeep. On the ride back to Santini Air to pick up Dom's chopper to fly back to the cabin, Dom turned to Hawke, who was driving. "Michael didn't have time to brief me fully on this one, just said he needed the Lady, so you gonna tell me what's going on?

"What d'you wanna know?" Hawke wasn't in the mood for conversation.

"Well for starters what about Beth, are you and her back together or what?" Dominic didn't look too happy about it.

"Turns out we were never not together, it was just a ruse by Michael to get me out of the way." Hawke paused and glanced briefly at his best friend, who had raised him like a son. "You don't like her do you?"

"I never said that, did I?"

"You don't have to, it's written all over your face whenever you mention her name."

"Well String, seen as you ask, I don't like her much, she's not good for you. I never said before 'cause you're old enough to make your own decisions and it's really none of my business."

"Since when have you stayed out of my private life, " Hawke was getting angry, "I wouldn't have met her if you hadn't dragged me to the club that night!"

"And I wish now that I hadn't. I just wanted you to get out, maybe meet a nice girl, settle down."

"I did meet a nice girl and I don't want to settle down."

"A _nice_ girl," Dominic said scornfully, "she took you home for the weekend after knowing you for about two hours. In my day they had a name for girls like that!" Dominic was shouting even though he was sitting right next the Hawke. "And that fight you had at the cabin, well, I can't believe you let a girl treat you like that."

They pulled up in front of the hanger and got out of the Jeep, slamming the doors behind them.

Hawke walked briskly towards the helicopter and climbed inside. He needed to get away from Dom or he was afraid he might hit him. He did the usual checks, then looked around for Dom. He was standing by the Jeep with his arms crossed in front of his chest, obviously he had no intention of flying with Hawke back to the cabin.

On the familiar journey home Hawke thought back to his conversation with Dom and felt the prick of tears behind his eyes. The last time they'd had a serious fall out was when he had wanted to fly a stunt for Dom that he felt was too difficult for the older man. Dom had punched him that time and had accused Hawke of treating him like he was no longer a man when he hadn't hit him back. Dom had eventually come around when Hawke asked him to back him in Airwolf, but Hawke still found it difficult to think about the incident.

Now he was afraid that his friend was making him choose between him and Beth, and while he loved Dom like a father, he would not abandon Beth when she needed him.

He thought back to the fight at the cabin, the last time he had seen Beth before he thought she had broken up with him. Dom had never heard the full story, didn't know why Beth was so upset, and Hawke had never minded to tell him.

_Beth was working homicide and her team had just caught a killer. She called Hawke at Santini Air to see if he would join them for a celebration drink at the club before they flew out to the cabin for the weekend. Hawke met her at the club and found her sitting at the bar just like the first time they had met. _

"_Beer?" she asked him._

"_Orange juice." he replied, "I'm flying later, don't want to be drunk."_

_They took their drinks over to the table where Beth's cop friends were. A large balding man, whose name Hawke couldn't remember, raised his eyebrow at Hawke's choice of drink._

"_What's the matter, she not let you have a man's drink?" he said scornfully, looking around to get laughs from the other guys._

_Hawke wasn't fazed by the challenge, "Thought you guys would appreciate a sober driver, less mess for you to clean up."_

_The other guys laughed at his response and invited him to sit down._

_The conversation was jovial and raucous, lots of congratulations and pats on the back for each other as they reviewed the case. They had accepted Hawke as part of their group after they had found out he had served in Vietnam and he joined in occasionally with the conversation and laughter._

_Beth was very quiet, considering she was meant to be celebrating, and when there was a lull in the conversation Hawke pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "You OK?"_

"_I'd like to leave now, if you can drag yourself away." She sounded annoyed and Hawke wondered what he had done wrong._

_He drove her car to Santini Air in silence, she didn't seem inclined to talk and Hawke was not one to make unnecessary conversation._

_Beth didn't speak until they finally landed at the cabin._

"_I'm tired. I think I'll go straight to bed."_

_Hawke pottered around his home, tidying and getting everything ready for the next day. Dominic, Caitlin, Michael and Marella were coming to dinner and would be arriving late afternoon. It had been Caitlin's idea that they all get to know each other a bit better now that they were working together on missions more often and Hawke's cabin was such a picturesque setting that it seemed the ideal location. _

_The next morning Hawke woke to an empty bed and could hear Beth downstairs. He quickly showered and dressed and joined her in the kitchen. She was standing with her back to him, pouring coffee. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Good morning."_

_She handed him a coffee in silence and walked away to stand in front of the dying fire. She ruffled Tet's fur and sipped her coffee, still not saying a word._

"_OK, you going to tell me what's wrong?" Hawke asked, fed up with the silent treatment._

"_You don't know." It wasn't a question._

" _If I knew I wouldn't be asking."_

"_I don't want to talk about it now. I'm going for a walk." She put her cup down on the hearth and strode purposely towards the door. She didn't know her way around the mountains and Hawke was worried she would get lost so he sent Tet after her._

_It was late afternoon when they finally returned and Dominic and Caitlin had already arrived. She walked in without greeting them and went straight upstairs._

"_Sorry," mumbled Hawke to his guests and followed her upstairs._

_She was standing by the bed. "What is it with you today?" he shouted, "I was worried sick with you gone so long!"_

"_Then maybe you shouldn't have invited me, you could have had the company of one of my fellow cops instead."_

"_So that's what this is about, you don't want me to have the same friends as you."_

"_No, it's not that, you just don't understand." her voice broke and Hawke noticed for the first time how red her eyes were. He approached her cautiously and put his hands on her shoulders. When she didn't pull away he held her closer. _

"_How could you laugh and joke with the men last night? You all seem to forget that people died. Before we caught the killer two more innocent women died – if we had caught him two days earlier they would be alive now!"_

_Hawke held her tighter, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."_

"_Well, maybe not, but the others did. I was the one who had to tell the families that their daughters were dead and I don't want to do that again – ever. I hate this job, I wish I had never got the promotion." She was sobbing now, half way between upset and angry._

"_Why don't you have a nice long bath, try to calm down," he suggested when the sobbing had eased a little._

_She placed both arms against his chest and pushed – hard. It was so unexpected he fell backwards, grabbing at the bannister to stop himself falling downstairs._

"_Don't patronise me!" she screamed at him."How the hell can a bath help!" She lunged towards him and slapped him hard across the face. _

_Hawke was aware of Dominic and Caitlin watching them, their mouths open in shock. When they saw him looking they quickly looked away, then he heard Dominic suggest they go outside to wait for Michael and Marella. _

_In the sudden silence Beth sank to the floor, head in hands. Hawke sat next to her, wrapped her in his arms and gently rocked her. He understood how she felt, he had felt the same way lots of times in Nam when innocent people had got killed. And he and his friends had often got into fights with each other when the tension got too much._

_They sat like that for a long time, until Hawke heard Archangel's chopper approaching. He lifted Beth's head and looked into her eyes._

"_Do you want to stay or shall I take you home?"_

"_What about your guests?"_

"_Don't worry about them, they can help themselves to dinner when it's cooked."_

"_I'll stay, if you want me to. That bath sounds like a good idea." Hawke recognised this as an apology, but just in case he didn't Beth added, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."_

"_It's OK, I do. Just don't do it again or I might have to hit you back!" He was only half joking. She was strong for her size, his face was stinging and he had pulled a muscle in his arm when he had grabbed at the bannister._

_He went downstairs to greet his guests._

_The evening wasn't a complete disaster. Caitlin or Dominic must have had a quiet word with Michael and Marella because nobody mentioned Hawke's red cheek or the awkward way he held his sore arm. Beth stayed upstairs until after-dinner coffee was served and then sang for them while Hawke accompanied her on the guitar._

_It was about eleven when Michael said that he and Marella needed to leave as they had work in the morning. He offered Beth a lift to Santini Air to collect her car and she took him up on the offer._


	8. Chapter 8

Inside the cabin Caitlin was waiting for Hawke. Beth had gone to bed as soon as the men had left and Caitlin had gone up a couple of times to see if she wanted anything but she had been asleep or, Caitlin suspected, pretending to be asleep.

She heard the chopper approaching and rushed to open the door.

"Where's Dom?" she asked the exhausted pilot.

"Stayed at the hanger," he replied gruffly, walking towards the bar.

He poured himself a glass of wine and Caitlin noticed how tired he looked. His eyes were red, his hair untidy and his face dirty.

"Is Marella OK," she asked. She really wanted to ask if he was OK, but knew he wouldn't appreciate the question.

"Fine, it was just a graze. Where's Beth?"

"In bed."

Hawke turned towards the stairs but Caitlin put a restraining hand on his arm.

"String, she's been up there since you left and I think she's pretending to sleep. I've been up a couple of times to see if she wants anything but she won't answer."

"I don't think she wants to talk to me either, I'll sleep down here. You should get some sleep too, I'll let you have first choice of furniture to sleep on," he gave her a sad smile and slumped in a chair with his wine. "Cait?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, I know you didn't want to babysit."

Caitlin shrugged, "That's OK. What are friends for."

The next morning Michael turned up at the cabin with a different pilot.

"Hawke, this is Andrea," he introduced them, "Marella isn't up to flying but will be discharged later on today. She was clean." he said, referring to Hawke's idea that the terrorists may have planted a tracking device on her. "Andrea has some clothes for Elizabeth, is she around?"

"Still in bed," Hawke replied, "Andrea, would you mind taking them up to her?"

When Andrea was out of earshot, Hawke turned to Archangel. "Does Marella know that Hunter is the one who had Beth?"

Archangel sighed, "Yes, she worked it out," he sounded weary. "What we are not sure about is whether Fedoseev knows that Beth is still alive."

Caitlin joined in the discussion. "The way I understand it, Fedoseev took Beth because he suspected she was spying on him, which she was, and he thinks that Hunter disposed of her – right?"

"Right," Michael and Hawke answered together.

"Well, if Fedoseev found out that Beth was still alive and could identify him, don't you think he would be really mad at Hunter?"

"Yeah, where are you going with this Cait?" Hawke asked thoughtfully.

"Well, we have the advantage here. If Beth were to contact..."

"No way Cait, she's been through enough as it is!" Hawke interrupted angrily.

"Let me finish String," she placed her hand on his arm, "he doesn't need to know where she is, just have proof that she is alive, so that he begins to doubt Hunter."

"It could work Hawke," Michael said, "please continue Caitlin."

"We're not sure why Hunter took Marella, but it looks like he wanted Airwolf to rescue her. The rescue was too easy and he could easily have destroyed the pager then we would never have found her." She looked at Michael as he flinched. "She's going to be OK you know." Caitlin thought that Marella and Michael should be together and had unsuccessfully played cupid a few times, but she suspected that this time they really might get together.

She continued, "The only reason I can think of is that Hunter wanted to show off Airwolf to the Russians. He works for the Firm, or should I say worked, so he would have enough knowledge to pass himself off as having access to Airwolf."

"That is possible. He did work directly under me for a short time but I soon palmed him off to another department. He's too arrogant for his own good, and it was his arrogance that got him shot . He didn't really need a desk job, but I didn't trust him to work in the field. I should have got rid of him when I could," he paused, "I know Marella well enough to know she wouldn't give away any secrets, even if she was sleeping with him. I just don't know what she saw in him."

"Maybe she was just using him for a substitute, because she couldn't have the person she really wanted." Caitlin said bravely. Hawke glared at her and she smiled back innocently. "Hunter must have a reason for showing them Airwolf and the only one I can think of is that they are planning to steal her."

Hawke turned to Michael, "Didn't Marella say that the cave had lots of electrical and computer equipment in it?"

"She did."

"Then they may be compiling enough equipment to make their own Airwolf, or at least something that can rival her."

"And we don't want that to happen, do we?"

"No!"

At that moment Andrea came downstairs. Hawke saw Archangel and Andrea exchange a glance and she nodded slightly. Hawke gave a puzzled frown – Archangel was up to something.

He glanced upstairs and saw Beth standing there. If he had thought her beautiful when he'd first seen her dressed all in black, then in white she looked stunning. She was wearing a tight fitting sleeveless blouse and a long flowing white skirt, similar to an outfit he had seen Marella wearing but on Beth it looked totally different. Her make-up hid the cuts and bruises on her face and her dark hair was tied neatly back in a long plait. White high heeled boots finished the outfit and the only thing out of place was the plaster on her left arm. But at least it's white, thought Hawke. He was determined to have some time with her before she got down to business, because she was undoubtedly dressed for work. At least his unspoken question the other day, about whether she wore white when working for Archangel, had been answered.

In awe, he slowly ascended the stairs and offered her his arm and together they walked back down and straight out the front door, aware of three pairs of eyes watching them.

* * *

After Airwolf had left the cave area with the injured Marella, the three men emerged from the cave where they had been hiding.

Hunter turned to the other two, a smile on his face, "So, what did you think of the demonstration? She's a beauty isn't she?"

"I'm impressed," replied Fedoseev, "but can you deliver as agreed?"

"And what about the pilot, he was impressive – no? Can he be bought too?" asked the bearded Ivanov.

"It will take some time to arrange, but I should be able to deliver at the agreed price," he turned to Ivanov, "I can't get the pilot though, you will have to provide your own if you want to fly her home."

"Maybe we should just strip her computers and build our own Airwolf.," Fedoseev was the computer expert.

"I can fly her, it should not be too difficult," Ivanov said.

Hunter looked dubious "I've heard she is very difficult to fly, you may need lessons."

"I can fly anything. You deliver, I fly." He was adamant so Hunter didn't bother to argue. As long as he got his money he didn't care what happened afterwards.

"I will be touch when I have made the arrangements. In the meantime you had better start digging your equipment out from that cave!" Hunter walked away from the men, not taking his eyes off them until he was out of their firing range.

* * *

Hawke and Beth stood together for a long time just staring out at the lake. He wanted to ask her what Andrea had said to make her get out of bed and dressed but thought silence was the better option. He didn't want to spoil the peaceful mood that had settled over them as the tension of the last few days seemed to drain out of her.

Finally she turned to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they eventually parted she smiled at him cautiously, "I'm sorry I pushed you away."

"It's OK," he replied, happy to just be holding her.

"Archangel brought Andrea here because she went through a similar experience a few years ago. The Firm only had male psychiatrists then and Andrea didn't feel happy talking to them so Archangel arranged for her to train as a counsellor. Any of the female operatives can see her if they have problems; she was with Marella last night."

"Why didn't he get her here sooner."

"She came as soon as she could. She was on vacation in Australia. Flew home specially at Archangel's request."

"So you're feeling a bit better?"

"She said it would take time, but yes, I feel better having spoken to her."

"Good!" he smiled and pulled her in for a quick hug, "we'd better get back before your boss decides to come and get you."

Back inside the cabin Beth approached Archangel and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you sir," she said, noting with amusement the astonished look on his face.

Caitlin approached Hawke cautiously. "There isn't enough food here for us all so I called Dom and he's going to bring some groceries over tonight. He's picking Marella up from the hospital too."

"I suppose he told you we had a fight?"

"Yeah, he didn't want to come but I sweet talked him around. We really do need his input, after all he will be in Airwolf with you."

"I suppose so," Hawke agreed reluctantly.

While the others all sat around trying to come up with a strategy to trick Hunter and the Russians, Hawke grabbed his fishing gear and took his boat out on the lake. Dom would bring plenty of meat and vegetables but usually ignored the fact the Hawke preferred fish, leaving Hawke to catch his own trout. Not that he was complaining, it was peaceful on the lake, with only fish and eagles for company, and he needed time to think.

He'd caught two trout when something occurred to him. He rowed quickly to shore and then ran to the cabin, leaving his fishing gear and the fish in the boat. He burst through the front door and four faces turned to look at him, surprised by his sudden entrance.

Archangel and Andrea jumped to their feet and pulled out their guns, thinking that Hawke was being chased.

"Where's the pager?" Hawke demanded, out of breathe.

"Marella's pager?" questioned Archangel, putting his gun away.

"Yes! Where is it?"

"I presume Hunter still has it," he pulled out his own pager, realising what Hawke was thinking. "Hang on, I'll see if it's still traceable." he pressed a few buttons, "My God Hawke, I can't believe we missed this, he can't still have it, it's too easy."

"How else is he going to get Airwolf? He has to hide out 'cause we know he's involved, but needs us to know where he is so we can deliver the Lady to him."

Andrea looked over her boss's shoulder at his pager, "Sir, how much battery life does Marella's pager have left?"

"Probably less than mine. I had mine on charge while Marella was having dinner with Hunter but she had hers with her. I estimate no more than 36 hours, depending on whether he switched it off, which I doubt he did if he wanted us to trace it."

"Well now we have our time scale," said Hawke, "we have to move tomorrow. I suggest dinner, a good night's sleep, then attack tomorrow morning. Hopefully they won't have had much sleep while waiting for us to arrive."

"Let's have a camp fire!" suggested Caitlin excitedly, "we'll cook trout and steak and wrap potatoes and vegetables and put them on the fire too." She glanced at Hawke and then at Michael, "It'll be so romantic."

The men groaned. "The fresh air will help us all sleep," commented Hawke, keeping a straight face.

"Men!" said Cait, but she was smiling as she helped Hawke to collect wood for the fire.

Just before Dominic arrived with Marella, Andrea said her goodbyes and flew back to Firm Headquarters, promising Beth she would return if she was needed.

When Dominic arrived he headed straight for Hawke, while Marella hugged Michael.

"Hey kid, we OK?" he looked apologetic and Hawke was relieved.

"Yeah, we're OK. But Beth is going nowhere. I can't make you like her, but at least try to get along with her."

Dominic gave him a fatherly hug then went to help Caitlin unpack the food.

Hawke carried two chairs outside for Michael and Marella, who would have been uncomfortable sitting on the ground, Dom and Cait sat on camp stools, and Hawke and Beth laid a blanket on the ground.

They discussed the next day's events while the food cooked and only when they had gone through it several times did Hawke let them start on the food.

"Now we relax, have some good food, a couple of beers and forget about tomorrow," he insisted.

During dinner they all chatted together about anything and everything, except what the next day might bring, but when it got dark they instinctively quietened down and started talking quietly in pairs. Caitlin was the first to rise and offered to make coffee, taking Dominic with her to help carry the dirty plates out.

When she returned there were only four cups of coffee on the tray.

"Dom and I are going to have a bath and an early night," she informed the two couples.

Hawke raised an eyebrow and Beth and Marella laughed.

"Not together," she laughed too, "I've claimed the first bath and Dom gets one if there's any hot water left!"

She went back into the cabin and drew the curtains so the only light left outside was from the fire and the moon.

Beth glanced over to the other couple and nudged Hawke.

"They seem closer since Marella got kidnapped, don't you think?"

"None of my business."

"Oh, come on String, aren't you a little curious?"

"I'd sooner concentrate on my own love life, if I've still got one?" He wasn't sure how far to push Beth. Sometimes she got close, other times she pulled away. She would have to make the first move; he just wanted her to know that he was waiting.

She looked back him shyly. "Well, this _is_ kinda romantic." They were lying close together on the blanket and she leaned over to kiss him. He stole a glance to see if either Michael or Marella was watching them, then decided that it was his home and he could do whatever he liked. So he kissed her back. Soon they were wrapped around each other, kissing and caressing, all thoughts of an audience forgotten.

Hawke was brought to his senses when a cool breeze caught his back where his shirt had lifted slightly. He raised himself up on one arm and grinned. He whispered to Beth, "Shall we stay out here tonight? It'll be more private than inside. Michael and Marella can have the bed; you did change the sheets this morning?"

Beth nodded and Hawke cleared his throat. "Er, Michael?"

Michael had been talking quietly to Marella, but turned to look at Hawke when he heard his name. "Welcome back to planet earth Hawke, we thought we'd lost you for a while there," Michael sounded amused.

"Cute, and there was me about to offer you two a comfortable bed for the night."

"I think it's you two who need the bed," Michael quipped back.

"Seriously Sir, we've decided to camp out tonight and Marella won't be comfortable sleeping in a chair with that wound." Beth knew that Archangel wouldn't deprive Marella of a better place to sleep even if he ended up on a chair himself.

"Well..." Michael looked at Marella who just shrugged.

"Just don't forget to set the alarm," said Hawke lying back down.

"What about you?"

"Sunrise'll wake me," he leaned over to kiss Beth again.

Michael stood up and held out a hand to help Marella,"Well if you're sure..."

But Hawke wasn't listening any more.


	9. Chapter 9

True to his word, Hawke woke early and nudged Beth awake so they could watch the sunrise together. Before they went inside, he held her close and looked into her eyes, suddenly serious.

"I promise I'll be back to watch the sunset with you." He gripped the back of her neck and pulled her face close to kiss her hard.

They walked back to the cabin arm in arm. Everyone else was still asleep so they claimed the bathroom first, and after a shower woke Michael and Marella so they could get their clothes from the bedroom. Beth had been right, Michael had given Marella the bed while he slept in a chair close to the bedroom fire.

When they were all up and dressed Hawke gathered them around the table for breakfast and a quick briefing.

"You all know what you need to do. Are there any questions?"

There were no questions so it was time for goodbyes. Beth and Marella stayed in the cabin, they were to track Hunter's position using Michael's pager. Hawke, Caitlin, Michael and Dominic all left in Dominic's chopper to fly to Santini Air where two white helicopters were waiting on the tarmac. Michael and Caitlin made there way towards one. The pilot climbed out and greeted her boss, then left in the second chopper. Hawke and Dominic left for the Lair in the Jeep.

Caitlin had been thrilled when Michael had asked her to fly his chopper. He usually used his own pilots, Marella mostly, but thought Caitlin would like to be in on this one. He knew she was more than competent; any pilot Hawke trusted had to be good.

"You'll be using the 'Angel One' call sign," he had informed her.

On the way to the Lair, Dominic was unusually quiet and Hawke noticed.

"You got something to say?" he asked the older pilot.

Dominic looked embarrassed. "I think I owe you an apology kid."

Hawke raised his eyebrow and waited.

"Beth is kinda OK. I think I may have been a bit harsh," he raised his hand as Hawke was about to interrupt, "don't get me wrong, I still don't approve of some of the things she's done but she obviously cares about you."

"Apology accepted."

They arrived at the lair and after a careful inspection to make sure there was no one about they changed into their flight suits.

Once they were clear of the Lair Hawke called for turbos and they raced towards their destination.

Dominic was navigating from the back seat and at exactly 0900 hours he radioed Archangel.

"Have Zebra Squad meet us 5 miles north of the area Marella has located the pager to. I'm transferring coordinates now."

Archangel replied, "Received. We have two fully armed Zebra Squad choppers on the way as well as a ground attack force."

"Good work. Have Marella on standby to page Hunter on String's command. Airwolf out."

Airwolf arrived at the meeting place first and radioed the others.

"Airwolf to Angel One."

"Angel One here," Cait's voice replied, "Go ahead Hawke."

"Landing site is free of bandits, you are clear to land. Airwolf out."

He sent the same message to Zebras 1 and 2 in the air and Zebra 3 on the ground.

Hawke climbed out of Airwolf and stood leaning on her nose. His pose looked casual but anyone who knew him would see the tell tale signs that said he was far from relaxed.

Five minutes later the three helicopters had arrived and they were just waiting for Zebra 3. Archangel was walking over to Hawke as the Zebra 1 leader approached and greeted him with a salute.

"Captain Hawke is in charge of this one," Archangel informed him

The man turned to Hawke and stood to attention, "Commander Lewis reporting Sir."

Hawke had to hide a grin at this man calling him sir but was glad that he had been accepted as the leader. "At ease," he said. They shook hands.

"You have your instructions Commander. If we can take them alive we will, but Airwolf will take the lead and Hunter is mine unless I give the order for the Squad to take over. Understood?"

Lewis glanced at Archangel, puzzled. Usually when they were called in the kill was certain and his men were eager to terminate Hunter for his betrayal to the Firm, the Squad and more importantly for hurting Marella.

"This one's personal,"Archangel replied, "it was Hawke's lady friend who Hunter kidnapped and raped."

"Understood. If there is nothing more I will brief Zebra 2 and I believe Zebra 3 is just arriving," he said, glancing over Hawke's shoulder where a white van could be seen in the distance.

"Dismissed Commander," Hawke looked concerned.

"He's the best Hawke, he will follow your orders to the letter," Archangel reassured him.

"Yeah, and I bet you thought that about Hunter when he was on the Squad," Hawke replied darkly, walking back to Airwolf.

As soon as Commander lewis had briefed all his men, Hawke radioed the cabin.

"Time to send that page to Hunter," he told Marella, then he paused, "Is Beth there?"

"I'm here String," she tried to keep her voice cheerful but was pretty sure she hadn't fooled him.

"See you at sunset," he replied, his voice gruff, "Hawke out."

Marella used Michael's pager to contact Hunter.

"The message will say it's from Archangel," she informed Beth, then she read out loud what she had written. "hunter-12 hours before I send zebra squad-save yourself-we can deal."

"Do you think he will fall for it?" Beth asked the older woman.

"Not a chance, at least not the deal part. All we can hope is that he believes the 12 hour part."

"What are the chances of that?"

"Pretty slim, but no harm in trying. We are just trying to surprise them. All we can do now is wait."

At the landing site everyone was poised and ready to move on Hawke's command. Fifteen minutes after Marella sent the page, Zebra 3 was instructed to begin its journey and exactly fifteen minutes after that Hawke lifted Airwolf into the air. Dominic contacted Marella again to check the location of the pager hadn't changed and she confirmed that it hadn't.

During the briefing the night before, Archangel had taken Hawke to one side to discuss Hunter's involvement. He didn't want to discuss it in front of Beth and Marella. They had come to the conclusion that Hunter was out of his depth; to Michael's knowledge he had little or no information on Airwolf, and if he had known that Hawke was the pilot he would have come after him and not Marella. He had proved to be dangerous, a kidnapper, rapist, traitor and possibly terrorist depending on what they intended to do with Airwolf once they had her. He also had too much inside information on the Firm. The final decision was that he had to be terminated and they didn't want the women to know that they were actually planning to kill the man; knowing afterwards that he had died was one thing but living with the knowledge that they were part of the reason why he had to die was another.

They flew in convoy until Hawke had a visual of their destination. It was similar to the place where Marella had been taken, lots of caves and mines for the terrorists to hide in. The whole of the surrounding area had been used for mining in the past and there were enough hiding places to make Hawke nervous. On approach they separated, one chopper covering each point on the compass, giving their ambushers more targets to contend with. Zebra 3 could be seen bouncing along a dirt track towards its destination.

"Ambush time," Hawke said sourly, "Dom, radio the others and tell them to keep this channel open."

When Zebra 3 was in position on the ground at Airwolf's compass point, Hawke circled Airwolf above the area.

"Let's give 'em a demonstration! Guns Dom."

"You got 'em!"

Hawke fired the guns along a clear patch of grass towards the largest cave he could see. When the dust and dirt started to clear he heard a voice he didn't recognise over the radio.

"Airwolf, you have bandits on the ground at your 6 o'clock."

"Acknowledged," Hawke turned Airwolf around, "I have a visual."

As he spoke a rocket was fired from the ground, heading towards Airwolf.

"Rocket fired," Don stated unnecessarily.

"Taking evasive action. Zebra 3, the rocket is now heading in your direction."

They watched in horror as the rocket landed close to the white van, causing it to lift slightly, then tip over onto its side.

"Zebra 3 report," Archangel's voice shouted over the radio. "Zebra 3 come in!"

"Zebra 3 reporting sir, we're all OK. Fully armed and continuing on foot."

Archangel sighed in relief, but his relief was short lived as Caitlin turned the chopper sharply to avoid guns fired in their direction.

Hawke's voice sounded over the radio, "Fire back at will, they may try to pick you off one by one, I'll cover your backs."

With that Airwolf screeched through the air, firing at anything on the ground. He realised that Zebra 3 were vulnerable now with no vehicle cover and hoped that they still had radio contact.

"Zebra 3 withdraw, I repeat, withdraw. I can't tell the good guys from the bad from up here."

"Zebra 3. Acknowledged, withdrawing to cover of damaged vehicle."

Hawke was beginning to regret his decision to have Zebra Squad involved. He was used to working alone and not having to worry about anyone else. Dominic seemed to read his mind.

"Don't worry about them String, they can look after themselves... oh, another rocket fired, heading our way."

Hawke evaded the rocket but it was a close call. He knew he needed to take out the terrorists' weapons or one of the choppers was going to get unlucky.

"We go to plan Alpha on my command. Acknowledge."

All team leaders acknowledged the command and waited for Hawke's signal.

When he gave the signal the three choppers fired simultaneously. The resulting explosion was enough to temporarily blind and deafen the terrorists, giving the choppers time to retreat to a safe distance out of their view..

When smoke and debris cleared the terrorists were nowhere to be seen and Hawke hoped they had been driven into the nearest, and largest, of the caves which he suspected held their arms.

He was in luck. After hovering above the clearing for a couple of minutes, six men emerged from the cave, four with guns and two with hand held rocket launchers. As two rockets were fired simultaneously, Hawke turned Airwolf and headed towards a nearby hill, the rockets close behind.

"Impact in 5 seconds," Dominic's voice announced over the radio, "4, 3, 2..."

As they disappeared behind the hill there was a massive explosion. And then silence.

Even though the whole team knew what Hawke had planned, the radio was silent while they held their breath waiting for Airwolf to report. Twenty seconds must have passed, which felt more like twenty minutes, before the radio crackled and Hawke's voice was heard. Caitlin let out a whoop, while Michael allowed himself a smile as Hawke confirmed that the plan had succeeded.

"Dom is checking the systems, we took a bit of a buffeting landing that close to the explosions, but I don't think anything major was damaged."

"Confirmed, we used a lot of our missiles making that explosion but we have enough left," replied Dom, "Let's go get 'em." He laughed, breaking the tension.

"They're all yours," Commander Lewis said from Zebra 1. "Good luck."

"Who needs luck with a team like this," laughed Dominic.

Hawke turned his head and glared at him. "Scan the area Dom, I need to know if Hunter is there."

He slowly took Airwolf into the air, rising above the hill and turning her nose to point towards the large cave. He smiled as he heard several gasps over the radio; he knew what an awesome sight she made. Dominic was scanning the area and zoomed in to identify the men who were standing by the cave entrance.

"String, I see Hunter, Fedoseev, Ivanov and a couple more who I recognise from Michael's file."

"Are they surrendering?"

"No chance, they look real worried and are still carrying weapons."

"Shame," Hawke drawled as he aimed the guns and churned up the ground around the six men. His thumb hovered over the missile firing button, waiting to see if they surrendered. One man raised the rocket launcher and Hawke's thumb instantly pressed his firing button and he watched as the men and cave disappeared in a mass of smoke and rubble. He fired two more missiles, aiming at the top of the cave and was rewarded with a massive explosion as he hit the weapons hidden inside.

His thumb was still hovering over the fire button and Dominic felt himself taken back in time to when Hawke blew up Moffett for killing his girlfriend, Gabrielle. That time String had continued to press the button long after the they had run out of ammunition and Dominic gave a sigh of relief as he saw String's hand relax.

"Check for life signs Dom," Hawke's voice broke through his memories.

"No life signs," Dominic confirmed, "but we don't know if there are men alive in the caves."

"Not in that cave," Michael interrupted enthusiastically, "you obliterated it! Good work Hawke."

"Zebra 3, check the surrounding area," Hawke ordered, "Zebras 1 and 2 arrange clean-up, and transport for Zebra 3."

"Acknowledged," replied Lewis, "and nice working with you Captain."

"You too Commander. Hawke out."


	10. Chapter 10

On the way back to the Lair, Dominic chatted constantly much to Hawke's annoyance.

"Dom," he tried to interrupt.

"Uh, you say something kid?"

"Shut up Dom," Hawke said it fondly but there was an edge to his voice which Dom didn't miss.

"What's buggin' you. The whole operation went to plan and the bad guys are gone and you're going home to Beth, so what's there to be miserable about?"

Hawke didn't answer so Dominic started guessing. "You not happy you had to kill them? You had no choice you know."

"I know."

"I'm sure Beth will understand and will be thrilled to have you back in one piece."

Hawke remained silent.

"So that's it, you're worried about what Beth will think?"

"No, she'll understand. She was a cop."

"Well what then?" Dominic raised his voice in exasperation, "It has something to do with Beth doesn't it?"

Hawke gave in, if he was to get any peace on the way home he would have to confide his worries to Dom.

"The mission is over, Beth doesn't need my protection any more."

"You think she'll leave?" Dominic sounded solemn.

"Why not, what's there to stay for?"

"Oh come on String, I saw you two together last night. I don't think she'll be in any hurry to leave."

"The last few days have been different, she's not herself and she has a lot of healing to do. When she's back to normal we'll drive each other crazy. We are so different."

"Well don't count her out yet. Talk to her. She might like to recuperate at the cabin then move back to her place. You could still see each other."

"She told me last night that Michael has asked her to stay working for him. Do you think that'll work!" Hawke sounded angry.

"Talk to her, otherwise you'll never know what she wants and might do something you regret, as usual."

"Thanks for the advice Dom," Hawke said sarcastically, "I'll keep it in mind."

It was early evening when Hawke and Dominic finally landed at the cabin. They had spent some time in the Lair checking Airwolf for damage and if it hadn't been for Hawke's promise to Beth they would probably still be there. Dominic climbed stiffly out of the chopper and hurried towards the cabin eager to be inside by a warm fire.

Hawke lagged behind him, reluctant for once to go home.

"Come on String, they'll probably have a pot of coffee waiting or a bottle of wine."

"Yeah, my wine," he arrived on the porch and sat down on the steps.

"Oh, you're hopeless!" Dominic entered the cabin alone and Hawke could hear him greeting everyone.

Hawke sat silently staring out at the lake. What he hadn't told Dom was that this mission had brought back memories of Gabrielle, memories that he tried to keep buried deep inside him. He wasn't proud of the way he had killed Moffett in the desert but was realistic enough to know that he had to do it. Revenge didn't feel good, he knew that from experience, so killing Hunter didn't make him feel any better about what he had done to Beth and Marella, in fact he just felt worse. What he really wanted now was his cello, but he couldn't face going into the cabin and seeing the cheerful faces, pleased at a mission completed.

Behind him the door opened but he didn't turn around expecting it to be Dom come to nag him into going inside. He was surprised when he smelt coffee and the unmistakable scent of Beth's perfume. The coffee was placed on the step next to him, then he heard her go back inside. Seconds later she emerged again and he finally turned. Unexpected tears sprang into his eyes when he saw that she was carrying his cello and stool and he turned back to face the lake to hide his face from her. Maybe they weren't so different after all. She placed the cello against the cabin wall then turned to go back inside again.

"Stay," Hawke said quietly.

He picked up the cello and stool and together they walked to the dock. The helicopter was there but there was still enough room for them. He sat on the stool and Beth sat cross legged on the ground next to him. He played from the heart, all his emotions expressed in his playing; what he found hard to express in words was so simple in music. They hadn't spoken a word and neither of them wanted to.

At sunset he carefully rested the cello against the chopper and sat next to Beth. They sat, still in silence, until the sun had disappeared behind the mountains.

Hawke spoke first, "We need to talk."

"What about?"

He gestured vaguely, "You know."

Her voice was patient when she answered, "No, String, I don't know."

He had hoped she would start the conversation, making it easier for him, but she obviously _wasn't_ going to make it easy for him. "About us."

"What about us?"

She definitely wasn't making it easy for him and he was tempted to go inside and pretend he hadn't said anything.

"You, me, Archangel..."

"Archangel," she sounded amused, "what has he got to do with us."

"_Beth!_" he was sure now that she wasn't taking him seriously.

"String, if you have something to say then just come out and say it. We've had so many arguments in the past because of misunderstandings and I want that to change."

"You want that to change?" he hesitated, then blurted out, "You mean you want us to stay together?"

"Of course I do. What made you think otherwise. God, I wish I could get inside that head of yours."

"What about your working for Archangel, how will he feel about us being a couple?"

"It's none of his business. And to put your mind at rest he has assured me that my work in future will not be as hazardous as this first job...unless I want it to be of course." She laughed at the horrified look on his face.

"You want to stay at the cabin until you're all healed?" he asked her.

"Sounds good to me. Archangel has said I can have as much sick leave as I need and I can't think of a better place to recuperate, or a better person to do it with," she leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Now, will you come inside, please!"


End file.
